


Fallen Light

by NickWildeAnJudyHopps



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, I'm tired, heaven and hell au, more tags mabye later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-21 15:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11947386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NickWildeAnJudyHopps/pseuds/NickWildeAnJudyHopps
Summary: What would happen if you completely threw the story of Zootopia out the window and jammed a story of eternal conflict between heaven and hell in its place? Probably this.





	1. Prologue

The room was made of pristine white stone with ornate columns lining the perimeter. Gold and silver lanterns and chandeliers adorned the walls and ceiling. Massive crystal statues of beings with the wings of birds on their backs, some have hoods that cover their faces, some have large helmets, some have swords on their hips and some have what looks like a twin scythes crossed in front of them.

Light shone through the two massive windows. The floor was adorned with a carpet displaying the images of a scythe, a shield, a book, and a cross. On top of the carpet was a massive oak table with four chairs upon which sat three beings, a water buffalo adorned in reddish-orange armor, a gazelle equipped with green armor and a grey bunny with white armor.

The buffalo huffed and slammed his hoof on the massive table, "Where is the guardian of death! He was supposed to have been here by now!" The buffalo's temper was legendary and it was in full force today.

The gazelle closed her eyes and let out a sigh, "Guardian of Honor, I will not tell you again, control your anger." She spoke in a soothing and even tone. "As for the fox, I cannot say. He has hidden his energy for some reason," she opened her eyes, got up from the table and walked towards one of the windows with her arms behind her back. Her tail flicked in annoyance, "It is nearly impossible to find him when he does this."

The bunny's ears suddenly stood up straight, swiveling towards the massive diamond door. "I believe we have found hi-" her words were cut short as the doors were forcefully shoved open, revealing a red fox with blue eyes. His black armor was broken and one of his arms was missing. His right ear dripped blood were it had been torn off.

Stumbling forward, the fox made it halfway to the table before falling to his knees. Coughing up blood, the fox wheezed and shakily attempted to make it to the table, but the rabbit ran towards him. Placing a grey paw on his back, she spoke, "Nigel, don't move! You are injured." The fox collapsed and rolled onto his back. By now the buffalo and gazelle were by his side as well. The bunny looked up at the two and shook her head, silently telling them that he wouldn't survive much longer. Looking back down, she stared into the foxes eyes, fear and shock were painted across his face. "Nigel, what happened to you?" she asked, worry and sadness woven into every word.

It was several seconds before the fox finally spoke his final breath, but what he said put both fear and determination in the hearts of everyone in the room, "It's...time. The Demons...are coming."


	2. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Nigel's death, the Angels are left without a Guardian of Death. But how would one go about getting a new one?

It has been said that from the beginning of time, there have always been two forces, Creation and Destruction. However, it has never been this clean cut. True, creation is supposed to be peaceful and destruction is supposed to be violent, in theory. However, in reality, in order to create, a massive amount of energy must be generated in order to do so, often decimating entire worlds and galaxies. In addition, when creation and destruction clash, the fallout is severe. Physical objects are torn apart at the atomic level, the atmospheres of planets are stripped, even stars are not safe from the onslaught. For aeons, the Creator and Destroyer would build and destroy what the other created, that is, until something so precious was created that both agreed to leave untouched.

This creation was life.

It was developed on a planet that the Creator named Serra. However, they soon realized that left untouched, this new force could wreak havoc on all of creation or wipe themselves out entirely. Together, these two beings created their own form of enforcers and soldiers; Angels and Demons. However, they could not just create a whole new form of life and hope it went unnoticed by the newly developed sentient mammals. So they slowly took the current beings and as they perished, the strongest of mind and body took up the mantle of these titles.

The Demons ensured that the mammals would not create more than the Destroyer allowed as well as keeping the Angels in check, while the Angels ensured that the mammals had law, did not destroy themselves outright, kept them from destroying the world around them more than it could recover, and kept the Demons in check.

This system worked until the Demons overstepped their boundaries and war ensued. The resulting battles nearly destroyed all of mammal kind, forcing the two sides to agree to hold their aggression until the mammals were ready to withstand another war. They agreed to hold their hatred for one another for the next thirty centuries.

On the three thousandth year, the Angels decided to have someone monitoring the Demons at all times to know when they would strike. On the one hundred and thirty second day of the year, the Angel on monitoring duty, Nigel Shole, the Guardian of Death, died after delivering the message to the other guardians that the Demons had mobilized and were headed to Serra.

Immediately, the Angels mobilized their own army and headed to protect the mammals and end the Demons once and for all. However, with Nigel's death, the Angels of Death no longer have their general. But, as this was the first time that any of the Guardians were killed, this was also the first time that the immense power given to the Guardians would be passed on to another. So it was Judy Hopps, the Guardian of Justice who was tasked with finding the new Guardian of Death.

And now, we join her on said journey to find this new power that will aid them in defeating the Demons, before it's too late.

 

 

Judy had rarely ever left the Garden, the safe haven of the Angels. A massive city teeming with plant life and beauty. She had never needed to, her duties as Guardian of Justice not only keeping her there, but also making her a target whenever she was outside of the Garden.

It was for these reasons that she felt both emboldened as well as uneasy as she approached the massive swirling portal at the center of the city. In times of war, this portal was a one way trip. Unless someone from the inside transported you back, you were trapped on Serra or the Crater, the Demons' equivalent to the Garden, a place of fire and chaos.

Judy was also unused to the armor she now wore, used only during war times. She had only worn them one other time, during the original war three thousand years ago.

All through out the city, she could hear the constant noise of the Angels preparing for battle. She bit her bottom lip in anxiety. She was unsure about how she would know when she found the new Guardian of Death, or what it would be like. She didn't even know what species it would be. She was also fairly certain that the new Guardian would have died first, so shouldn't he already be here? Or would it be different? So many unknowns about the situation were putting her even more on edge than she already was.

Figuring that she shouldn't wait any longer, she unfurled her large white wings and stepped through the massive swirl of green and blue. Immediately, a massive pain was felt in her mind, like a knife being slowly driven further into her sub conscience. Mentally flinching from the shock, she was forced to let go of the form she was so used to. Every Angel and Demon had two forms, their Angel/Demon form, were they are the most powerful and Angels have larger wings and Demons become massive twisted versions of their species, and their 'mortal' forms, the form they had when they died originally, but much more powerful. They still had access to all of their attacks and magic abilities as well as having the ability to call their wings and banish them at will, but a massive portion of their power, nearly ninety percent, is lost.

The Garden and the Crater emitted the energy needed to sustain these incredibly energy draining forms. However, Serra does not. Because of this, the energy is taken from the being's body and therefore puts a massive strain on their mind. This strain is felt as a massive pain and will eventually lead to death if held for too long. Judy was forced to drop the form and revert to her mortal form both due to the pain and not wanting to waste any energy she may need later.

A few moments later, there was a sudden loud 'bang' noise and she felt a sharp tug on her mind as her body was pulled to Serra.

She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She appeared to be on some sort of mountain and was surrounded by a thin forest. She could hear running water nearby. Figuring that she wasn't going to get anything out of her surroundings, she closed her eyes and silently tried to seek out the faint energy that all mammals gave off with her mind. All around her was darkness, except for the massive spike in energy that she knew was her own. Letting out a huff of frustration, she let her mind wander to further places in Serra.

It took only a few seconds, but she suddenly let out a gasp as she found a massive flow of millions of energy signatures grouped in the same area. Surely, this must be a reasonable place to begin looking for the new Guardian. A moment later she cursed as she sensed the energy of several powerful beings that resembled the energy of Demons approaching the area that held the gathering of mammals. Pulling her mind back to her body, she opened her eyes and summoned her wings. The massive silver and white wings she had earlier were replaced with smaller, plain grey wings. Grumbling about the size and the color, she flapped the appendages and let them take her to her destination.

She felt the wind rush through her fur as she soared through the sky. She cursed again as she felt the energy of the Demons getting closer to the gathering of mammals. Increasing her speed, she soon broke free of the mountains and was greeted with the sight of a massive city, not as large as the Garden or the Crater, but still admirable, especially for the mammals.

She decided that it wouldn't be such a great idea to immediately call attention to herself by flying into the city. She landed about a kilometer away from the city and banished her wings and used magic to change her armor's appearance to look like the clothing of modern mammals. She always found it odd that using magic created a certain smell that was strangely pleasing.

She walked the rest of the way to the city, but due to her increased speed as an Angel, it only took her a few seconds. Entering the city, she took in the sheer size and diversity of the place. Spinning and gaping like a child, she was in awe that mammals, the same ones who were so primitive compared to these when she had been alive, could make something of this scale. The grey doe was in such awe that it took her several moments to realize that the Demons were now in the city. And they were close.

She counted four energy signatures and they definitely could feel the massive energy given off by the Guardian of Justice. Grumbling to herself, she sighed, wishing that she could have had some more time to explore the city before she had to fight these Demons. Seeing as how it would have happened soon enough, she decided it was as good a time as any to alert the inhabitants of the city of the beings that protected them. Her grey paws glowed white as she removed the magic hiding her armor and called forth her wings and weapons.

All of the mammals around her gasped as they saw the bunny who just spontaneously grew wings and now had a silver sword and shield in her paws. Ignoring the staring faces, she flapped her wings and took off, blowing some of the mammals back with the gust of wind her wings left behind. Feeling the four Demons ready themselves for combat as well, she flew above the city and waited for their arrival.

She did not have to wait long, as the demons soon flew out of the city as well and surrounded her on all four sides. Among the demons was a hyena, a boar, a ram, and a timber wolf. The wolf was clearly the strongest of them and the leader, as she was staying back while the others were closing in.

Deciding to give them a display of her power, Judy let her shield dissipate and curled her fingers as if she were holding a ball. Channeling energy into her palm, she felt the heat being generated as a ball of pure white energy began forming in her paw. Forcing more energy into it, she swung her arm around so it was facing the leader of the group. The timber wolf's eyes went wide as Judy released the ball of energy. It became a blur as it shot through the air and almost immediately impacted the wolf. On contact, the ball exploded, releasing the energy of an atomic bomb in the space of a small predator sized car. The blast shook the air and as the water vapor and other gases created from the explosion dissipated, it revealed the nearly dead timber wolf.

Her red eyes filled with rage, the timber wolf flew towards Judy, her black wings carrying her at tremendous speed. Judy was faster, however, as she flew upwards, evading the attack and brought her sword down, impaling the wolf through the back. The wolf coughed blood and wheezed as the sharp blade made its mark on her. Quickly pulling the blade out, Judy blasted the wolf with another energy bomb. The wolf let out a shriek as her form was ripped apart by the ensuing explosion. This bomb however, was more concentrated and therefore was able to completely disintegrate all traces of the timber wolf.

The other demons looked at each other and then charged Judy all at once. One of the demons fired his own black energy bomb at her. Judy quickly raised her paw, blocking the attack and combined it with her own bomb to send both back at the boar, destroying the demon. The other two were smart enough to not try to attack her with energy attacks as she was more than capable and experienced to both block and retaliate the attacks. Instead, they both swung their weapons at her at the same time. She held her paw up again and created a shock wave that sent the two demons backwards. Pointing with two fingers, she sent of a beam of energy that penetrated both the armor and body of the hyena, the beam continuing out into the distance.

Now weak from the massive damage sustained by the attack, Judy rushed forward and ran the hyena through with her blade. Pulling it to the side, she sliced through the armor and skin. The now freed blade swung back and cut cleanly through the demon's neck. As he fell out of the sky, she destroyed his body with another energy bomb. The ram was the only one left and attempted to run. Judy couldn't risk letting it get away, she simply destroyed its body with yet another energy bomb. She was pleased with her work, having left no trace of the destroyed demons and left no survivors to impede her search for the new Guardian.

However, just as she was preparing to set down on the ground again, she heard and felt the energy released with in the city. Figuring there was no point in hiding anymore, she flew into the city and searched for the offending energy signature. What she found was not what she had expected. An entire city block had been leveled, the ground and rubble smoking from the large amount of unrestrained energy released. But by what? Surely, no being should have survived this...unless...

Quickly reaching out with her mind, she found what she was looking for. Flying over to a large pile of rubble, she released a shock wave that blew most of the dirt and debris outwards, revealing the nude body of a red fox, completely unharmed from what she could tell. Nudity did not embarrass her, being as she had been mortal once, one would think she would be. But no longer was she a mortal, had not been for nearly forty centuries.

She reached down to touch the fox and as she layed her paw on him, she felt the massive energy hidden within the his body. Grinning at the sheer luck of finding what she had come in search of, she scooped up the fox and flapped her wings, flying out of the city. Remembering the forest on the mountain she had been transported to on arrival, she flew back into the mountains, knowing that the teeming wildlife would somewhat mask her energy signature from any seeking it out. Descending into the forest, she landed in a denser part of the woodlands and prayed that no one would find them here. She needed time to contact the Garden and alert them of her sheer luck as well as find out if the fox knew how much power he now had with in him.

Feeling the sudden shift in energy before it happened, she quickly turned around in time to see the fox awake, but panicking. His body was glowing as he became more and more frantic. Rushing forward, she placed her paw on his chest. The fox tried to throw her off, but she held him down and helped him dissipate the congealing energy. Slowly, the fox became less frantic and after realizing that she was helping him, stopped trying to throw her off, though he had little success thus far anyways.

As he came back to his senses, he noticed the wings on the bunny before him and began questioning whether he was dreaming or not. He pinched himself. Nope, definitely not dreaming. What was odd though, was that he barely felt the hard pinch. Maybe he was on the verge of death and he was hallucinating.

"You're not dreaming," said the grey doe, her violet eyes not even looking at him.

Confused about how she knew what he was thinking he opened his mouth to ask her before she said, "I know what your thinking because it is one of the abilities of an Angel to read other's minds. Though you should have this ability yourself now."

The fox stayed silent for several minutes, giving Judy the necessary time to make contact with the Angels manning the portal in the Garden.

She nearly jumped when he spoke again.

"So, I am the same as you? An...angel, you said?" Judy turned towards the fox. It was odd really, if not for his green eyes, she could have sworn that this was Nigel laying against the tree. He looked exactly like him.

Judy shook the thoughts of grief from her mind and smiled at the fox. "Yes and No. Yes in the fact that we are both Angels and that we both are members of the highest elites, the Guardians, but that's where the similarities end." She gestured towards herself, "I am the Guardian of Justice, the leader of the angels of Justice. You, however, have been given the powers of our recently passed Guardian of Death. You are the, er...will be the leader of the Angels of Death."

The fox looked in shock at the fact that Angels and death intertwine, or that angels could be killed at all. "Hold on, so the reason I nearly exploded again was because I have powers given to me by a dead Angel of Death?" Judy nodded, doing little to stifle the feelings of confusion flowing through him. However, he was silenced by the Angel's next words.

"Do not worry yourself, the Angels are creating a gateway back to the Garden, the Angel safe haven. This is also were you will be in the most control of your powers as well as at your strongest. You will be able to learn everything you need to there."

The fox suddenly felt a sharp pull on something that wasn't in anyway physical, it wasn't painful, but it was also very odd. The last words he heard before he felt his mind separate from his body for several moments were spoken by the bunny, "Here we go!"


	3. The Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being told he was an Angel, the new Guardian of Death is now being thrust into his position in preparation for what is to come...

Pure white surrounded the fox as he was moved at speeds unimaginable to the mind. Though not instant transportation, it was definitely many times faster than the speed of light.

Oddly enough, being separated from his body as it was dismantled and transported to who knows where was not the most shocking part of the fox's day thus far.

No, that came with the knowledge that he was now an Angel, a being of legends, protecting those under their watch. An Angel of Death no less, he had no idea what to make of that. But apparently the legends were true, as he had been flown to a woodlands area on the outskirts of Bunnyburrow by this Angel bunny before his mind was torn from his body by apparently, hopefully, more Angels somewhere else.

Where that was exactly, was an entirely different subject. He thought he remembered the Angel saying something about a garden...NO! Wait, it was The Garden, something about a safe haven for Angels.

The male vulpine didn't understand how a bunch of plants could be considered a safe haven, but that was non of his business nor say, apparently.

It is a very odd feeling to not be able to control your body, but still know it's there. An even stranger feeling is being able to feel the...presence?...of other beings all around you. This was accompanied with being able to tell that they are going to the place that you just left...or were kidnapped from...he didn't really know at this point.

All of this thought process took place in the span of only a tenth of a second. At the end of that tenth, the fox felt another tug at his...mind, he supposed... and placed him back in his body, or had he never left it...he was going to get a headache from trying to figure out how everything that was supposed to be completely impossible was now happening to him at the exact same time.

There was a loud bang that woke him from his musings and instantly placed him in a place he did not recognize...nor did he imagine it was on his home planet.

Wherever this was, it was far from home. Though it might also be better.

The fox looked at his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of massive city on a scale that he had never imagined or seen.

All around him was a massive circular clearing with trees that had odd colors and strange flowers blooming in them. There were even a couple of trees that continued to change color even as he watched. Outside of the clearing laid the beginning of a seemingly endless city with buildings so massive that you couldn't see the tops. Everything was intertwined with Nature, the buildings had vines with gorgeous flowers and foliage growing on them that seemed to be trying to concrete the fact that these angels had no imagination when it came to naming stuff. There didn't appear to be any roads, but there were massive openings in between each colossal building that would allow more than enough room for Angels to fly through.

Turning around, he nearly stumbled backwards when he saw the massive swirling green and blue portal that they had been pulled through.

He felt constricted suddenly. Looking down, he noticed that he was no longer naked, but now had a black version of the armor that the bunny Angel had on.

He heard a giggle nearby, nearly making him jump a foot. Turning to the offending party, he saw the bunny Angel, er, the Guardian of Justice he thought she called herself. But the odd thing was that she looked different. She no longer had the plain white armor. Now she had an intricate and glossy white armor with the circlet that made up the neck opening made of gold. The fact that she now had an equally intricate and flashy sword and shield on her hips instead of the other plain silver sword and shield didn't pass under his radar either.

But the most striking difference of all between the bunny he saw before him and the bunny who had been with him a few moments ago, were the two massive white and silver wings with feathers as long as she was tall. The massive wings looked powerful, like they could carry a planet and not even break a sweat. Along with the gorgeous and powerful wings, was the massive, and he meant MASSIVE, power boost. He didn't know how he knew she was more powerful in this state, he could just feel it in the back of his mind.

Another oddity was that he could feel the presence of another energy, but it was incredibly vast in power. The being he could feel was more powerful than anyone else in the entire city.

The fox's ears twitched when he heard a barely audible mumble come from the bunny. Smirking slightly at the puzzled look on her face, he decided to mess with her a little, "Fluff, your going to have to speak up. I may be an Angel now, but that doesn't mean my ears got any stronger."

The bunny, was silent for a few short seconds before she eyes the vulpine before her. Letting out a soft sigh, she looked the fox in the eye, "I don't feel the presence you are,". The fox's face fell at that statement.

Scowling, he looked at the doe. Somehow, though he was taller than her, the fact that she has wings and sick ass armor made him feel minuscule. "What do you mean you can't feel it? Its energy is...uh, brighter I guess?...than anything else here. Almost to the point where it distracts me from everything else," exclaimed the fox. He shifted uncomfortably, not sure if he was actually right about what he was feeling, I mean, if there was a being as powerful as he was sensing nearby, wouldn't the other Angels be able to sense it as well?

The bunny stepped towards the fox, placing a paw on his arm and smiled up at him, "Nigel, the Guardian of Death before you, had the ability to see and feel things that nobody else could." suddenly self-conscious, she averted his gaze as she continued, "He could see into the realm of spirits, able to see the souls of those who passed on. Nigel was also incredibly powerful, though not as powerful as you are saying. I'm not sure if you are sensing him or a combination of different things, or maybe something else all together. What I do know, is that we need to trust each other's judgement." Now deciding to look at the fox, amethyst eyes met emerald, "If you say that you can sense a being that powerful within the city, either it hides itself extremely well, or it arrived recently. But I am not going to say that what you sense is wrong."

The fox pondered what the bunny told him for a moment, 'If this Nigel was that powerful, and I got his powers, am I that strong? Or am I less strong, or am I stronger...' he was still just running circles around his own mind, never finding answers and only providing himself with more questions.

The bunny suddenly grabbed his paws and place them on her shoulders as she faced the other way. "I need you to hang on tight, but before we go...what is your name?"

The fox was taken aback for a second before chuckling, "To be honest, I'm surprised I even remember it after everything I've gone through today. My name is Nicholas Wilde." Nick could feel a sudden downward shift in the bunny's mood at the mention of his name. "What did I say?"

The bunny hesitated and then sighed, "It's not anything you did. But there is something you should know..." she paused, "Among the ranks of our enemies, the Demons, there is a very powerful group of individuals. They call themselves the Demon Lords, they serve the equivalent purpose of the Guardians. Among those Demon Lords, is a fox....his name is Sorren Wilde. I don't know why the Creator chose to pit family members against each other...or why the Creator and Destroyer chose both of you as leaders of their armies, never mind the fact that you both are potentially among the four most powerful beings in existence besides the two gods, the Creator and the Destroyer. But I am certain now that you will both play a key role in the deciding of how this conflict ends." Nick took in all of this information. He'd never heard of this Sorren Wilde, that much he was certain. Anyways, Wilde was a fairly common name among foxes, who says this fox is even a family member. And wait, he was among the four most powerful beings in existence besides the two gods? Before he could say anything the bunny unfurled her massive wings and spoke over her shoulder with a smirk, "By the way, my name is Judy Hopps."

And with that, Judy flapped her powerful wings once and lifted the duo off the ground and into the sky. The higher they went, the more Nick could see of the massive city. At a certain height, Judy propelled them in between two massive skyscrapers. The air whipping past his head was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Judy giggled, "Don't worry, the same power that makes you so powerful also makes you that much harder to kill. Essentially, the stronger you are, the more difficult you are to kill and the more damage you can sustain. A fall, even from the top of one of the towers most likely would only leave you a little bruised. You're perfectly safe." Silencing any further speech with a flap of her wings, the bunny shot them out of the opening between the towers.

Immediately, Nick saw the largest tree he had ever laid his eyes on. There appeared to be buildings built into it. Another odd thing was that there was energy, strong energy, emanating from within the tree itself. Somehow, this tree was generating power on a scale that was unimaginable.

He opened his mouth to speak but the rabbit beat him to it, "Yes, this is the essence of the Creator. This tree has stood since the beginning of time itself. If ever it were to be destroyed, the Creator would soon wither and much of its power would vanish. This would not be a permanent effect, you can't kill a god, but it would take millennia for his power to return, and even then not fully. Along with his power, so would all life vanish, as the tree was used to generate the power needed for life to begin. Angel's and Demons would be fine, as we are already dead. You on the other hand...I'm not sure." Again, more information for the fox to call upon later. He also failed to miss the saddened tone of her voice as she spoke the last few words.

Nick realized that they were going up again...and at a fairly quick pace. It took them only seconds to break through the thin layer of clouds, and yet the tree continued upwards. It took them almost a full minute to fly to the top of the tree.

At the very top layed what appeared to be the roof of a temple of some sort. Extending from the entrance to the temple was a massive landing platform. It was here that the two set down.

Though Judy had been flying the entire time, she didn't seem to even show the slightest signs of fatigue. The power that these Angels had was astonishing.

Nick's ears swiveled as he heard the doors to the temple swinging open. From within its depths, stepped a behemoth of a buffalo with armor similar to Judy's except instead of being a polished white, it was a reddish-orange and a massive war hammer was attached to his hip. Alongside him, stood a gazelle wearing green armor with several small plants threaded through it. Over her shoulder was slung a large gold bow and a sheath of wooden arrows with glowing symbols carved into them. They both seemed to study the fox for several moments before moving closer.

The buffalo seemed to radiate power, it was almost stunning. Nick didn't even have to be able to sense his power to be able to feel the vibe he gave off. Strength, dominance, virtuousness, loyalty. The buffalo eyed Nick for a long moment before, without turning his head, locked eyes with Judy, "This is the new Guardian of Death, Judith?"

Standing straight, the bunny looked back at the buffalo, "I believe so, yes. Not only can he feel the presences that only Nigel could, his raw unrefined power took out three city blocks when he couldn't contain it." Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked at the ground shyly, "I think that sufficiently dictates him as being the Guardian of Death. Not to mention the fact that he looks almost exactly like him, if not for his eyes, I would sear he was Nigel."

The buffalo turned his gaze back to the fox, opening his mouth to speak, the buffalo was cut off as the gazelle moved in front of him and took Nick's right paw in her own. Immediately recoiling, she looked at the buffalo with wide eyes before looking back at the fox. She shakily took his paw in her own again, though not recoiling, she failed to with hold the gasp that escaped her lips. Closing her eyes, Nick could feel an odd presence seep into his body and mind.

Everyone stayed perfectly still as the gazelle continued her mental probe. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and she took a step back. "His flesh...it never perished."

The buffalo looked at the fox with wide eyes, he could clearly feel the massive reserves of power flowing through the fox. But it was modified and hidden by something more adaptable than any of them had managed in millennia.

Life.

The buffalo stared at the fox for several long moments before whispering, "How?".

Nick noted that he actually looked scared. "Is there something wrong with me being alive? I kinda enjoy being that way, ya know." He tried to break the tension with a joke. It worked to an extent, at least he got a giggle out of the bunny.

The buffalo snapped back to attention, "Do you know who we are?".

Nick furrowed his forehead, "Yeah, I mean a little. You, I mean, we are Angels. I know that Judy is the Guardian of Justice...and I'm guessing from the fact that you two are the only ones who have even said a word to us, that you are also Guardians. Which would mean that there are at least four because I am the Guardian of Death, as previously stated. So yeah, I know a lot of stuff..." he looked sheepishly away from the buffalo, "but I'm not quite sure what most of it actually means."

The buffalo huffed and pinched the rim of his muzzle. He looked up at the sky and sighed, "There is a lot that you need to learn, and you need to learn it quickly. Can you tap into your energy yet?"

Nick gulped before looking at the massive buffalo, "I can sense energy...but that's about it. Unless you count exploding as being able to control it, because I don't." He laughed nervously, not wanting to upset the buffalo who, by the way, was in the same form as Judy, at least that's what he gleamed from the fact that their wings looked almost the same except for size, and could most likely crush him in an instant.

Judy took the opportunity to step in, "He may not be able to control the power, but neither could we when we each first took up the mantle of Guardian. Granted most of us knew how to fight already due to the necessity of constant conflict. But he is from a time when conflict was not needed.

"Even if he may need to be trained extensively, he still is the Guardian of Death. The Creator wouldn't choose someone who wasn't up to the task to take Nigel's place." The buffalo regarded the little bunny before him. He knew better than to take her size at face value. She was much stronger than she appeared, even to those who could sense power.

Sighing in defeat, the buffalo looked at the fox once more, "What is your name?"

Nick coughed into his paw and rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh..." Nick nodded towards the bunny, "she already told me that the name Wilde is most commonly used to describe a Demon Lord." The buffalo went wide eyed and he looked like he was going to faint. "My name is Nicholas Wilde."

At the sound of his first name, the gazelle stepped in front of the behemoth again. Her armor clinked as she knelt down so that she was at almost eye level with him. She hummed to herself quietly as she took his paws in her own again. Her gentle gaze drifted over Nick's soft orange and russet fur. Where ever her gaze fell, he could feel the energy she was using to do something. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, though. If he had to guess, he would say that she was looking for something or lack there of.

She used her fingers to touch his claws and feel along them until where they met skin. It was oddly soothing and relaxing, while also very awkward and unnerving. Her fingers ran through his fur causing a tingling sensation where ever she touched the skin underneath his russet coat. He could hear her even breathing as the gazelle continued to touch every part of his body, including some he wished she would have left alone.

It felt like an eternity had passed by the time she had finished her examination or molestation, though Nick preferred the latter description. Standing to her full height, the gazelle turned and nodded to the other two.

Nick looked between the three, attempting to decipher what just occurred. When he couldn't figure it out for himself, he decided to get some answers for himself, "Why did I just have to essentially partake in my own molestation?"

The buffalo still looked somewhat on edge, though he was trying to hide it as he answered the fox, "The Guardian of Life was reading your power as well as attempting to find out whether or not you were truly the Guardian of Death and not a spy or assassin of incredible power sent by the demons."

Nick smirked as he met the buffalo's nervous gaze, "Did I pass your inspection?"

The gazelle giggled, "With flying colors, I might say. Though I still find it very odd that you are alive. But enough of that. You have much to learn in a short amount of time. It is our duty to teach you what we know, but your power is much different than ours, the Angels of Death have always been different than the rest. Your powers over death and the afterlife gives you monumental power. You are even more different due to you not having died, what that will mean for the way you interact with the power flowing through you is yet to be seen. But not for much longer."

With that, she nodded to herself and turned along with the other three guardians and headed into the temple.


End file.
